NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council approved on Tuesday the intent to levy property tax exceeding the Revenue Neutral Rate for its upcoming 2023 budget. This is a technical formality, even though the city says it is going to hit that number.
"This is just being done as a precaution, in case the valuation changes," said Director of Finance Angela Richard. "It will guarantee the revenue that we will levy and allow for any changes in the valuation. If it increases, then we won't have any problems with exceeding our revenue neutral rate. Per SB 13, the budget hearing must be between August 20 and September 20. I am proposing that we set our Revenue Neutral Rate hearing and our budget hearing for September 6. It is a normal council meeting that falls between those dates."
There were some minor adjustments made between the last regular council meeting and Tuesday.
"We have made changes to the dispatch budget," Richard said. "We're postponing a project until 2024. That will provide a savings of $82,000. We're also proposing another half-percent increase to staff merit-based raises, which would cost $53,000. Our ending general fund balance, with those changes would be $5,384,000."
That number may actually be a little low, because it is a very rare year where all the money budgeted ends up being expended. The goal is to end up close to $6 million in reserves. This would be a mill levy decrease of just under 3 mills, if valuations are correct. The September 6 hearings will be at the council's regular 9 a.m. meeting that day.